Love This Time of Year

We're coming up on fall which I adore. I can be out mid-afternoon without roasting and can take my bike everywhere without fear of offending due to sweat.

Saturday I pedaled to the grower's market, something I haven't done in a long, long time. The crowds tend to put me off but going early negates that worry. I picked up purple beans, rattlesnake beans, a native melon, okra, collard greens, tomatoes, sweet corn and a multigrain loaf of bread. I would have loved to take more, but that was all I could fit in my pannier.

Some of the corn was roasted on the grill for vegetarian enchiladas and some was eaten as a side with a variation of this gumbo. I had forgotten how much I love okra and will definitely do a better job at planting and caring for it next year. We had the collards on the side tonight too and they were delectable with some spicy vinegar from home-canned pickled jalapenos.

Next Saturday I plan to hit the market again but with more storage space. It's apple season after all!

What's New

Things here are settling into a nice routine between work and home. Unfortunately more time is spent on the work side of things, but that's how it goes sometimes.

The garden is growing but I had less than ideal germination rates for the beets, turnips, rutabaga and the carnival carrots. This is mostly due to the seeds being a tad old, I think. We'll make do with what comes up! I'm also plucking tomato hornworms off the tomatoes a few times a week. They make for a good chicken snack!

The sunflowers are putting out seed which the goldfinches and sparrows love and Chipper the chicken gets to have any leftovers.

I'm still juicing every day and it helps me get through the long mornings before lunch. I think it's like a little sanity tonic when working with middle schoolers!

And last but not least, Lane has started a masters program--the house has never been cleaner!